Dunn-Edwards Portraits: California Designer Shines on the Small Screen and Soars into Interior Design
05/13/2025 | Dunn Edwards |
As a former HGTV Design Star and the winner of several high-profile design awards—Best Coastal Kitchen Design (San Diego Magazine, 2024), Best Commercial Design (Wayfair Professionals, 2023), and Best Interior Designer (Modern Luxury Magazine, 2021), Jennifer Guerin has cemented her status as a talented, high-demand interior designer and color consultant.
Jennifer has a refined sense of how to use color in design. She does not shy away from tame neutrals or wild pairings. She loves it all. "Milk Glass (DEW358) is one of my favorite whites," she says. She's also captivated by Pueblo Rose (DET438). "It's just got so much sunshine in it. It's fun and unexpected, but it's also got that Palm Beach style. It's Mid-Century Modern with a lot more fun in it," she says. Jennifer is currently using Pueblo Rose in her own laundry and studio space, paired with O'Brien Orange (DET460) and Golden Rays (DE5423). (For more color inspiration and palette sneak peeks, check out her Instagram page.)
Her playfulness with color echoes the very colorful pathway she took to becoming an interior designer. Initially, she was an entrepreneur starting out and learning from each step along her career journey. Jennifer gives practical and direct advice for those wanting to start their own interior design business: "Have a savings [account]," she recommends having at least three months of emergency funds. She stresses the importance of securing the right professionals—a bookkeeper, CPA, lawyer, and tech person. She also advises new designers to plan for the seasonal nature of the work. "We have seasons in interior design. February through November, we can't even breathe we have so many jobs." she explains. "Then it can get slow. In those seasons, plan to take a break. Plan to work less. Take it as it comes and then when it slows down, you've got those extra funds."
Jennifer also highlights the importance of building a strong portfolio from the beginning. She started by taking her own photos and gradually invested in professional shoots. "It's absolutely imperative, otherwise people don't know what you can do," she asserts. She emphasizes that documenting the entire design process, including before-and-after shots and progress photos, is crucial for showcasing your work and reminding clients of the transformation.
Jennifer began at FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising) in Los Angeles, where she studied fashion, marketing, and business. After that, she attended San Diego State University for painting, printmaking, and art. At SDSU, she studied color, not just form, and graduated with a degree in Printmaking and Art History.
After school, Jennifer began working in the house painting industry. That naturally led to providing color consultations with clients. In order to hone her skills, she then attended the International Association of Color Consulting North America (IACCNA). She later studied with The Eiseman Center for Color Information & Training under Leatrice Eiseman, one of the most influential people in the world of color.
Thanks to her marketing and business background, Jennifer decided to hire a public relations agency to give her painting and color consulting business a boost. She recalls, "William, the owner, is a dear friend of mine. When he asked about my dreams, I said, 'I'd like to one day be on TV." For Jennifer, becoming a TV star was the catalyst that led her to her real dream of becoming an interior designer. "It's funny, I always wanted to be in interior design, but when I was going to college, I changed my major four different times," she shares. Those explorations—marketing, business, art, and fashion—proved to be invaluable stepping stones. But it wasn't until her TV debut that her pursuit of interior design really started.
With the help of William, Jennifer soon auditioned for HGTV's Design Star. Jennifer recalls, "I pretended I was Mr. Rogers and Martha Stewart and sent in a video on how to apply paint and plaster. After many rounds, they chose me as one of the participants.
Although Jennifer had formal training in art, color, and painting, she was still an interior design novice. But because of her role on the show, people naturally assumed she could design. Jennifer approached it all with humility, "I was intimidated... I actually didn't have formal interior design training at that point." But she had the intuition, raw talent, creative background, and personal drive to make it a reality.
To bridge this gap, she sought guidance from an expert interior designer friend. "I actually hired him to mentor me in interior design, so I wasn't blindly doing it, and I also interned with another company." Going from running her own painting company to becoming an intern was a refreshing change of pace. Jennifer recalls, "Being an owner, if there's a problem, it's your problem and everything comes down to you for decisions. So, the internship was really fun. I was with multiple women who were interns at that time. And now one of those women is a business partner of mine. I made lifelong friends."
With her notoriety as an HGTV design star, formal art and color training, and an established painting business, it was easy for Jennifer to grow her color consulting business while pivoting to interior design. Today, she is the owner of JG Color, a thriving interior design and color consultation firm that tackles residential and commercial projects, in addition to consulting with Color Marketing Group (CMG) to predict color trends two years in advance.
Jennifer Guerin's story proves that there's no right or wrong way to work toward a successful career in interior design. By following her dreams and trusting the process, she ended up exactly where she was meant to be. It turns out, happy endings aren't just made for TV; they happen in real life, too.
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